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V. § 66.] QUALITY OF SOUNDS OF FLUE-PIPES. 131
sions of the pipe, and the pressure of wind, it is accompanied by from two to five overtones. Open flue-pipes present, therefore, various degrees of timbre which are exhibited in the different' stops' of a large organ.
66. Reed-pipes. The apparatus by which the sounds of pipes of this class are originated is the following. One end of a thin narrow strip of elastic metal, called a 'tongue,' is fastened to a brass plate, while the other end is free. A rectangular aperture, very slightly larger than the tongue, is cut through the plate, so as to allow the tongue to swing into and out of the aperture, like a door with double hinges, without touching the edges of the aperture as it passes them. The accompanying figure shows this piece of mechanism, which is called a 'reed,' in its position of rest. |
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It is set in motion by a current of air being driven against the free end of the tongue, which is thus made to swing between limiting positions as shown in the annexed sections. |
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